Editor’s Notes

​This quarter we have received some articles from quite a few seniors and first time writers. We thank the Lord that our seniors are willing to take on the challenge of writing and sharing their testimonies. We also thank Pastor Albert Pua for sending us his sermon script for the message he was unable to deliver in person due to snowy weather. Michael continued to write about Psalm 23:3, Ginny shared her insight on Isaiah 31:18-20, Philip wrote about God’s blessings on that snowy Sunday, and he wrote another article later to share his prayer with miraculous healing. Coincidently, a few of our elders also wrote about God’s almighty healing; Mr. Hu’s Be Content and be Thankful, Anonymous’ Thank You God, Ling Ling’s Jehovah’s Abundant Gift – Story of a gallstone. Mr. Yu wrote A Book Review, Laurie wrote Resolution,and Frail Soul wrote The Peace of God, which transcends all understanding.

Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter are coming very soon. Most churches generally will remember and celebrate these special days with sermons and songs around the theme that Jesus gloriously entered the city, but in less than a week he was crucified, buried and resurrected on the third day. How are we preparing our heart to remember and celebrate? I suggest before these special days we open our bible to reread these familiar passages and meditate on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you have a genuine life in Christ? Has your life been changed? Do you grow in Christ?

Q & A on Psalm 23:3

Author: Michael 2/15/15(Personal thoughts, for reference only)

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

1. V.1 talks about the metaphor of the shepherd and v.2 talks about green pastures. So who is referred to as “me/my” in this verse, the sheep, or the man, the poet himself?Answer: The circumstance of this verse does not clearly indicate the environment for the sheep. So on the surface, “me/my” refers to the self. Who is the self? A man like David the poet, and a sheep shepherded by the Lord.

3. What does “restores my soul” mean? Does that mean resurrecting, or repenting, or awakening, or restoring physical strength?Answer: The word used here for soul, is similar to life and generally does not imply resurrection. As I look at Hebrew prayer books, they generally use another word for the soul as it relates to resurrection. Therefore the soul that is restored here probably is not resurrected but physically and mentally recovered from the near-death condition caused by exhaustion, hunger, thirst, injuries, and sickness, whether of sheep or man. Also, the Hebrew4Christian website mentions that the word “restore” is related to the word meaning “return” or “repent”. This will form a very natural link to the subsequent “paths of righteousness”, as it becomes a life-changing parable.

4. Did the poet David have the experience of the soul being restored? Why did he think about that subject?Answer: David was a shepherd when he was young. He probably had seen some lost sheep that were close to death that regained life and vigor after being fed water and grass. In I Samuel 30, David chased his enemies and met a sick man who had not eaten or drunk for 3 days and 3 nights. Then they gave him water to drink and food to eat – part of a cake of pressed figs and 2 cakes of raisin. He ate and was revived. In II Samuel 12, David himself was the “lost sheep”, had committed sin because of lust and his son that was born got sick and died. David fasted for 7 days and then he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. Then he ate. I believe he himself at that time experienced the bodily revival after hunger and thirst.

5.He restores my soul. Who is “He”? V.1 mentioned the name of the Creator and the metaphor of the shepherd. So who is “He” here, is He the shepherd or the Creator?Answer: Both answers are correct. The shepherd can feed the sheep with water and grass so that the hungry and thirsty sheep can regain vigor. But only the Creator that rules over everything including the human heart has the power and plan to turn the human soul around onto the paths of righteousness. A lot of people, when they recall their salvation experience, clearly know that it is all God’s grace.

6. Why does He guide me in paths of righteousness “for His name’s sake”? Is He vain and does He care about vanity?Answer: No. My answer is first against the word vanity. His glorious name, His great power and love are all real and He is pleased to show the world. For the sheep that belong to Him and are willing to follow Him, the shepherd has the power and determination to take care of them. Here is a mutual faithfulness. On this point I have a thought: my students are willing to work on the doctoral dissertation with me and I feel the obligation to find good jobs for them. The difference is that my power and love are limited, compared with God’s great power and love.

7. “For His name’s sake”: are there examples in the Bible that show that the Lord cares very much about His name?Answer: There are many examples. I will cite two. The first is in Exodus 32:12. The Israelites worshiped the golden calf and should have been destroyed. Moses prayed to the Lord not to let the Egyptians say that He brought them out with evil intent to kill them and to wipe them out. Another instance was in Numbers 14:16. The Israelites after hearing the negative reports were afraid to enter the Promised Land. Instead, they rebelled and wanted to return to Egypt. They were going to be destroyed by a plague but Moses prayed to the Lord to not let the nations that have heard the report about Him say the Lord was not able to bring these people into the Promised Land. In these 2 cases, the Lord did not destroy the Israelites for His name’s sake, because He did not bring disaster with evil intent or lack power.

8. This verse mentions “paths of righteousness”. Does this have anything to do with the sheep metaphor? How can sheep’s paths be righteous or not? What does it mean to be righteousness for sheep? Are they wide paths? Are crooked paths unrighteous for sheep? Are they uphill paths? Are downhill paths unrighteous?Also, the “paths of righteousness” are plural in the original language. Why? Are there more than one path of righteousness?Answer: This was a question that had puzzled me for a long time. To me, words in the Bible should be able to stand examination. The more you challenge Him in faith, the more He can give you the happy surprise of “being convinced by Him.” When I prepared to write this article, I realized that whether a path is right or not does not depend on it being crooked or straight, narrow or wide, up or down. Sometimes the sheep needs to go down the slope to the river to get water. Sometimes the sheep needs to wind along the riverbank to find water and grass. These are not critical. The key is who is leading the way. If you follow the shepherd, that is the right way, the path of righteousness. The path of righteousness is not necessarily the same for different people in different stages. So that should be plural and can be crooked or straight, narrow or wide, up or down. But in essence, the path of righteousness is the path that follows the footsteps of the shepherd, the words of the Lord.

Resolution

Author: Laurie

First I thank God that He has been watching over us, accepting us and providing our needs from the beginning to the end of the last year.

Many people have New Year’s resolutions such as getting promotions, losing weight and ladies wishing to buy their favorite brand name products…

However, we Christians should have a different resolution and that is listening to God’s word and following His way. This is a very good resolution, because in the world we have many big and small problems, hardships and weaknesses. We can only depend on God’s word to help us. How can we depend on God’s word? Come to Sunday school to get a deeper understanding of the Bible.

Today in Sunday school we studied Isaiah 41. The teacher told us to memorize 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This verse has helped and encouraged me tremendously. We humans tend to be lazy and need to be spurred. Especially when we are weak, we need to hold onto the Lord, because we are imperfect. Only God is perfect. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. In God we have love and help and we can depend on Him. These are our blessings.

I know I am unworthy but Your grace is sufficient for me and I thank You for this. Oh God, please help us; help us to be Your beloved children that expand Your kingdom and lead more people to know You so that they would become your beloved children too.

Count Your Blessings, Count Them One by One

Author: Philip (2 days after the Winter Storm)

This morning, as I thought about the Sunday 2 days ago, I had to count and write down the Lord’s Blessings.

That morning, I was outside clearing the snow from the driveway for more than 2 hours. As I was almost finished, at around 8.30, my son came out and told me that Ginny wanted me to go inside to talk about something important. So I handed him the shovel as he could finish up and I went inside and asked her what was so important. She told me a deacon just called and asked whether the Sunday Service at GCCC would be cancelled. I immediately called James and we decided not to cancel the service because even though some people might not come, some might. Eventually about 30 people came and we had a very good worship service and very good fellowship.

Our family of three arrived at the church at around 10. Even though the parking lot had been plowed commercially some more snow had accumulated. A few brothers were shoveling. Thank the Lord!

As we entered the church, we saw that some brothers and sisters had already arrived. We heard from them that Pastor Ho was coming to preach as the speaker originally scheduled lives close to the Wheaton Church where Pastor Ho was to preach that morning. So they decided to switch pulpits.

As Mrs. Fu had told Ginny the day before she was not coming to church because of the forecasted snowstorm, I was responsible for practicing with the praise team members; so four of us practiced from 10:10 am. I believe our music ministry will be better for it.

After the singing practice, I saw more than 20 brothers and sisters that had already arrived. Pastor Ho also arrived. We all got ready and started our worship service. Thank the Lord sister Juan Hu substituted for the PowerPoint projection, I presided, Ginny translated, Nehemiah played the piano and Pastor Ho presided over communion and preached.

The Convocation Scripture passage was Psalm 100:1-3, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” I was especially thankful that our family was all there to serve together in the combined service. From the podium, I also saw that brothers and sisters enthusiastically worshipping our God. I was especially glad to see that Patti was back in church. Some other elderly brothers and sisters were there too, even though some were a little late; our great shepherd led us all safely there.

We sang “How Great Thou Art” and praised God for His great creation, His wonderful salvation, and our future hope. The children’s choir was supposed to sing, “God is so good.” Even though most of the children and the leader did not show up, we still knew that “God is so good.”

Before the preaching, Pastor Ho told us how the pulpit exchange took place: He received an email from the Wheaton Church the night before, telling him that they would understand if he could not go and preach to them as planned because of the snow storm. But he replied that he would be there. (That Saturday, I also had talked to Pastor Pua on the phone and I told him that we would notify him if we cancelled our service.) On Sunday morning, Pastor Ho realized that Pastor Pua lives nearby Wheaton Church and so called him and discussed about the possibility of exchanging pulpits. They agreed and then notified the two churches. Because of the time, he could not change his sermon. So he preached the sermon that was supposed to be his last sermon for the Mandarin congregation of Wheaton Church. After our service, I came to know at least 2 very mature sisters thought that the sermon was very good. The original response hymn also fit very well with the sermon theme. We should give all to the Lord because He gave Himself to save us.

Because of dance rehearsals and cleaning the house, Ginny’s knee had been painful and swollen for a few days. However she had no problem standing on the platform as the translator. Thank the Lord! Nehemiah was also very happy that he did quite well as the pianist after more than a week of practice.

During the announcements, I said that we would have joint baptism on Easter Sunday at CCFC. I also announced that two sisters already had decided to be baptized and I hoped that others would also receive the baptism from Pastor Ho. After the service, Mrs. Ho happily told me that Eric and Kathy had also decided that they would get baptized. Thank the Lord. So I went with Mrs. Ho to congratulate them. They said that they made the decision after they talked with Ginny and me at Danny’s visitation. We told Patti about this and she was also very happy. Kathy then hung up the banner she had prepared for our church theme for the year, “Listening to the Lord’s words and following His way”. It looked so nice. I really thank the Lord for that.

After the service, as lunch had been canceled by General Affairs, some sisters prepared some refreshments for us and many brothers and sisters stayed for fellowship. I was especially happy to share with Patti and other older brothers and sisters and Pastor Ho. I also heard that some sisters did not come because they heard that the service had been cancelled. Some sisters still wanted to practice the song that they were going to sing the following Sunday, even though Agnes could not get her car out of the driveway because of the snow. So I practiced with them.

​All in all, this was the best Sunday I have had in a long time. Even though there was a lot of snow and the number attending the service was less than usual, I thank the Lord that we did not cancel the Sunday Service so that those brothers and sisters that would could come to worship. Despite the cold winter storm, together we received God’s word, praised and worshiped Him with psalms and hymns, and fellowshipped intimately with each other with warmth in GCCC. Thank the Lord for all His Blessings.

The Peace of God, which Transcends all Understanding

Author: Frail Soul

Philippians 4: 6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Since I founded the non-profit organization "Identity" last year and organized the board, I started to plan our February premiere. Now that the performance is over, I begin to review and plan our next project. As I look back, after Christmas we began seven weeks of rehearsal while we were also doing remodeling of our kitchen. Finding the balance to cope with housework and other things, the pressure was very intense. However, the word of God encouraged me, and I lifted up and entrusted all matters to His leading, whether they were big or small. His peace transcended my understanding, my hope and my prayer.

During late December, when I had my first rehearsal, my original dance partner decided to withdraw from the project because of an injury in another performance and his very busy teaching schedule. Our artistic views were very different, but he said he would help to find me a replacement. In early January, after auditioning a few dancers, I found two suitable ones. Meanwhile, I had to find the costume, the dance floor and get people to load it in the theater. I experienced the presence of God in every instance. I laid down every detail to God, and the most exciting for me was that God listened to my prayers. He did not answer my prayers immediately, so I could learn and wait until the last moment before He showed His work.

Because of rehearsals and the kitchen remodeling, my knee was swollen with pain even when I walked. One morning before I went to rehearse, I read the book of Philippians. Although the verses in chapter 4 were very familiar to me, I truly went to the rehearsal with the exceeding peace that He gave. The dancer who usually was very punctual had not shown up yet. Later he texted me and apologized that he had food poisoning the night before and he could not make it that morning as he needed to rest at home. My heart praised Him because God really knew that I needed to rest that day. On the dance floor issue, I had tried several studios and they did not have a rental policy. I had no choice but to learn not to be anxious. Eventually, I not only found a studio that would let me rent the dance floor, they even gave me a discount. The rehearsal studio that I rented also gave me a discount. I did not ask for either of these discounts, they called them “one time support artist discounts”. The day that I needed to load in the dance floor to the theater, the sister that helped me really could not find anyone. While I was praying, I thought of the contractor that did my kitchen remodeling. I texted him quickly and he returned right away that he could help. He said as he was working nearby that area and he dropped by after his work to help me. If he were in another area, he would not come even if I paid him. God had him working nearby in preparation to help me.

After seven weeks of preparation, we finally had our performance on February 12. In fact, my knee had not fully recovered, and I did not perform in my best condition. During one program, the technician did not turn on the microphone for the backstage male monologue to say the line, "She is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; the two become one flesh". The lighting person faded in the light and music without that monologue line. I was very disappointed and talked to the pastor’s wife back stage; she comforted me that we could pre-record this in our next performance. Although we had great feedback of the performance that evening, I graded myself with a very low score. After we returned home, Philip reminded me to give thanks and not to be so critical on myself, and that I should look at it positively and affirm myself. However, I still did not have joy because the gross income from the box was not good. That evening some people had wonderful comments on Facebook and I received a few texts from my peers to congratulate me for a successful performance. The next morning, I woke up but still did not have joy. While I was praying, a line came to me, “Don’t be too hard on yourself.” Suddenly I could relax and let go of the mistakes in the performance. There are lots of things that I do not care much about such as cooking or games, and I can accept mediocre results. But for things that I value a lot, I do have a very high standard. I need to learn this: the scripture teaches us to look at ourselves appropriately. Otherwise, I not only stress myself, but also affect my family. May God keep my heart and mind so I would always have joy and gratitude!

Through the time I worked on this project, I noticed that I am a very devoted and committed person. Fortunately Philip understood my pressure and tried to avoid conflict between us. Although the week before the performance was very tense in our household, we celebrated Valentine’s Day from Saturday until Tuesday afternoon. We had a few days to invest in our marital relationship, discuss our misunderstandings, and cultivate a God-pleasing marriage. I also had time to share with Philip how God led the whole process of this project. I believe devotion and commitment in the right things is good. Jesus Christ set an example on this: He was committed to the will of God to save lost souls through Him, but he was also compassionate to people’s needs. He brought real peace to the world.

Be Content and be Thankful

Author: Mr. Hu

In the New Testament, Hebrews 13:5 warns us, "…Be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’. The first half says that we need to be content; the second half states that God will protect you. Jesus Christ will not leave or forsake you. It is like you have purchased permanent life insurance. However, not everyone in this world follows this teaching. Murders, robberies, greed and wars are everywhere. I wonder if these are caused by people’s discontentment and ungratefulness. Some time ago Pastor Lee preached in GCCC and mentioned this: statistics show that the average life expectancy of those who had won the Lotto was shortened by ten years. Why? This is due to the harmful effects of discontentment; in the end discontentment becomes harmful to oneself and others.

If each individual calmly reviewed one’s life in the past and what one has experienced, it should be evident that God’s Word is so true. In my own case, I unfortunately suffered recently from a bad flu. It lasted over a month and it did not improve even after seeing the doctor and taking medication. I can say this was the worst flu I ever had in my life. Several times I coughed to the point of almost choking and I could hardly breathe. I thought of calling 911, and yet, with God’s protection, I survived. This proved what the Lord said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. This led me to think of myself as being over eighty-years of age. As an old Chinese saying goes, “being seventy is rare”; I am rare old folk even by today’s standard. Thank the Lord that He will not forsake me. As I think deeper, I have lived over 80 years and experienced all the greatness and challenges in life. However, God has also led and protected me that I have had a smooth life. Thank God, the most important thing in life is to be content and grateful.

​Jesus advised us in two verses: "…Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” (Luke 12:22) and "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about what you will wear…” (Matt. 6:25). He also reminded us, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matt 6:27) Therefore, we need to follow God’s teaching: live for God, rely on Him completely, lay down anxiety, delight in Him, be content and be thankful forever.

Thank You God

Author: Anonymous

Time flies, the New Year has passed with the arrival of the Chinese New Year. I recall on the 4th of July last year I went to cut the vegetables in the backyard and carelessly stooped too low. I felt a little pain when I stood up. The next day the pain, called sciatica, became very serious. I could do nothing and my youngest daughter came and helped. She cooked every day; sometimes she made food that was enough for two meals. They took me to see a doctor who is a Korean orthopedic surgeon. The first visit was so expensive at $675 and the follow-up visit each time was $60. After a few visits, there was no improvement. Then I saw my family doctor and was given painkillers. I did not improve then either. My daughter urged me to continue seeing doctors, I insisted on not going because the painkillers upset my stomach. I also refused to have injections. I could only trust in Jehovah my God. I prayed for myself and asked for healing from the Lord. Thank God that He listened to my prayers and healed me. Now I can do exercises and have re-joined the Tai Chi class. I also thank the Tai Chi classmates who came to visit me; I was very touched by the love and care from our brothers and sisters. A senior sister suggested lots of treatments, such as getting sun exposure outdoors, do not lift heavy stuff, do not sit for too long, etc. I wish you all have a Happy New Year in the Lord and grow spiritually.

Jehovah’s Abundant Gift – Story of my Gallstone

Author: Ling Ling

The pain of sickness is the most difficult among the life phases: birth, aging, sickness and death. It can be a long suffering of cancer or a sudden heart attack, but my experience this time was the tremendous pain from a gallstone. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by abdominal pain, tossing, turning and unable to sleep. I had to wake up my wife and family; everyone was worried about me. I managed to hold on until dawn, begging God to take away my pain and give me peace.

Seven years ago I had the horrible experience of a sudden heart attack in the middle of the night, and was sent to the emergency room for treatment. Doctors did seven hours of surgery to save me. Thank God for His hand that saved my useless life. I would never forget Jesus Christ’s great grace and would keep this in my heart forever.

Due to the severe pain, I was sent to the Saint Francis Hospital emergency room. After the doctor saw me, I was sent to have X-Rays to confirm the diagnosis of gallstone. The gallstone was stuck in the bile duct. It was so painful. Only a surgical procedure could remove the stone.

I was sent to the ward to rest and wait until the next afternoon when the operating room would be available. While my heart was unsettled, I saw the cross hanging on the wall in the room. I prayed all night to the Lord Jesus that I trust fully. I confessed my sins to God all night; I begged the Lord Jesus’ hand to save such a sinner that was so unworthy and so lowly. After my earnest prayer, I was able to fall asleep in pain later on that night.

The next morning, another attending physician brought five resident doctors and used my gallstone case as a teaching case. After a detailed discussion, he found my scar from the last major heart surgery. The physician warned his residents that in order to avoid the gallstone removal causing complications, they have to make sure the heart that had undergone surgery before could handle the gallstone surgery. So they asked the surgeon in charge to check my heart first. The doctor did X-rays and diagnosed that my heart blood vessel had a blockage, and they must first do a balloon angioplasty to treat the heart condition before doing the gallstone surgery. Therefore they changed the plan to do balloon dilation of the coronary artery immediately.

When I was sent to the procedure room, a miracle happened. God used His hand to perform wonders. Because the machine for the angioplasty procedure is large, like the frame of a bunk bed, I had to lie down and then was pushed inside. With the machine constantly vibrating slightly, after ten minutes of the vasodilation procedure, God manifested His grace on my body. Because of these ten minutes of vibrations, the gallstone that was stuck in the bile duct was pushed to my stomach. After I returned to my ward, the nurse gave me some pain medication and I went to sleep peacefully. I knew God was watching over me and was with me, so I could continue to serve the Lord.

The doctor came to check on me and determine if I needed to have the gallstone surgery. Pressing his hand on my stomach he asked if I felt the pain. I told him I had a little pain only. Then he ordered anther scan on my bile duct and found no more stone and no need for surgery. The doctor also praised the miracle of God. I will praise and thank God everyday from now. I also will join the men’s choir to sing praises to our true and loving God, Amen!

​"I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs…so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it."(Isaiah 41:17,18 & 20)

A Book Review

Author: Mr. Yu

Recently I read a book "On Self-Discipline” by Mr. Zhang Qun. The first section is on Healthy Discipline and discusses about maintaining a healthy and long life. It must start with a regular schedule and eating right.

Lots of people, because of their good health when they are strong and young, conceited with debauchery, or wanton diet, age prematurely. He believed a healthy life depends on consistent self-discipline, keeping a steady pace in health care, and secondly keeping a happy mood. He recalled a Korean couplet: "Laughter gets you younger, anger turns you older," He said it would be more appealing to re-write it as “If you laugh heartily, you turn a day younger, if you get really angry, you turn one year older”. The author believed health is related to physical exercise. If you form a habit from childhood to exercise, this will benefit you for a lifetime. He also mentions at the end about a song regarding longevity: “wake up early, sleep well, do not eat too much, always run, laugh often, do not worry, keep busy daily, forever young.” These eight phrases summarized his healthy way.

This longevity song aligns with a poem by his fellow Chinese master painter, also his close friend, Zhang Daiqian, and this is provocative: “It is not unusual to be 80, or even 90. But you should be happy if you are 100. You are a little brother if you are 70 and you are a baby if you are 60.”

As Mr. Zhang Qun had profound life experiences, in regard to self-discipline, he often said: "We should not be afraid of “aging”; if “aging” is not in our hearts, then we naturally will not grow old.” He embraced his favorite late Japanese politician Tsuyoshi Inukai’s saying: "Do not always put age in your heart." Not thinking about your age is the best secret to a healthy life.

“Forget about your age, do not get angry, have a content heart, strive for a simple life, furthermore, be authentic.” He felt that Zhu Kuo Liang’s saying, “One must be content in order to have a clear purpose, and at peace in order to reach far”, really illustrated that only by having contentment can one put aside one’s own desire for fame and fortune, and to have a clear purpose and reach one’s goal in life.

Mr. Zhang Oun was a devout Christian. He believed that faith that is established and strong has several common characteristics: (a) one will be sincere and loyal towards the object of one’s faith; (b) one will be totally convinced by and obedient to the ways of the faith, (c) in order to follow the ways of faith, one will be faithful and determined in one’s giving and sacrifice. Men cannot live without faith; one who has faith must be faithful. Having a real faith will lead to spiritual fulfillment, then life will not be confusing, empty or meaningless.

In summary, the book discusses 5 edifications: edify the body, the heart, wisdom, mind/capacity, and hope. The author believed that these principles are simple, and someone that fully appreciates them and puts them in action should not have too much difficulty. However, one must have two pre-requisites: 1) sincerity – one must really practice whole-heartedly, 2) consistency – one must practice continually.

​ (Postscript: Mr. Zhang Qun passed away peacefully at the age of one hundred)

Isaiah 41:18-20

Author: Ginny

I just taught in Sunday school last week on Isaiah chapter 41. I had some thoughts to share with all of you on verses 18-20. The Prophet Isaiah prophesized the rise of Cyrus, the king of Persia in 539 BC, and the Jews were able to return back during the reign of King Cyrus. Judaism was also re-established during that time. The powerful Cyrus unified the Medes and the Persians, and wiped out and occupied Babylon and other neighboring countries. At that time the ten tribes of Israel had been destroyed, and the Jews were exiled to Babylon, but God used king Cyrus to deal with those idol-worshiping countries.

Although the Jews repeatedly betrayed, repented and turned back to God, God still blessed His people after punishing them for their infidelity. In verses 10, 13 and 14, He encouraged them not to be afraid. Verse 17 described the poor people suffering from thirst, not only referring to their physical, but also their spiritual needs. Verse18: "I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” God promised to restore the Israelites. The passage used the metaphor of rivers, springs, water and pools that were rarely seen in those natural environments to renew and change nature. That way, His people could see hope in the midst of hopelessness, and they would be released from their captivity. It also indicated Christ (Messiah) is the water of life. Verse 19 continued with different species of trees, “I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together.” (For details of the different trees see biblehub.com). Trees are used as a metaphor for God's people, including the people of Israel, as well as the Gentiles who believed in God; they will be re-planted and cultivated by Him. Verse 20, “ So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” This was the answer to those seekers in v.17, including the returning Israelites and those who received the living water from Christ. This verse used 4 verbs to illustrate their clear understanding of the work of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

I asked the students a question. After receiving the supernatural "water of life" in v.18, trees that were planted grew in v.19; we could see the changes in nature. Those who had the life of God and was planted by Him should have growth and change in their lives, like an evergreen tree in the desert. Most of our brothers and sisters who like gardening are familiar with plants growing, germinating, and flowering. Are our lives as Christians changing? If we use trees to describe our spiritual life, are we growing? The students shared these: 1) Christians can be like withered plants that only have a name but not the actual essence. 2) They may take decades to grow very little. 3) Maybe their roots are not deep enough or they are without any roots, so cannot absorb water even there is plenty of it. 4) Perhaps they do not know how to absorb the water. 5) After becoming Christians, they just wait to get to heaven. During our discussion, we all agreed that God is sufficient; it is our problem if we do not fully utilize His resources. I added one more: Christian’s self-sufficient attitude –God is only on our lips and only we ourselves are in our hearts, and we do not see a need to change. I am not saying that Christians who pursue spiritual growth have no struggles; I am addressing the Christians that do not have real changes in their lives.

How do we deal with our non-growing or unchanging lives? My conclusion is we cannot stay in the salvation stage and not move forward. We need to seriously follow God in our lives. Our concept of God reflects our understanding of Him; this knowledge directly and indirectly shapes our perspectives about God, people, things, work, value, time, church and the world. It is more or less reflected by our lives and manifested in our daily behaviors. We are living witnesses, and our testimonies reflect how deep our understanding of God is. This is not just an understanding intellectually, we need to live out our faith. How big is God in our hearts? May we know God’s Word more, listen to His voice, pour out to Him, confess to Him, and intercede often for others with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unto Him. Ponder carefully: have you ever been touched by God’s love?

I would like to share this hymn to encourage and motivate brothers and sisters in pursuing spiritual growth--When I survey the wondrous cross:

Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small,

​Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all

Praying with Faith, Miraculous Healing, and Thanksgiving Testimony

Author: Dr. Wong – 4 AM, March 7, Saturday

This morning at 3:30, I experienced a miraculous healing through praying with faith. After consideration and more prayer, I wrote down my thanksgiving testimony.

My right lower back pain with sciatica has been bothering me on and off for about two years, but was never as bad as the last few days and I never took any pain medicine for it before. But on Wednesday night, I could not sleep because of the pain and I had to take 4 pain pills (2 with opioid narcotic, left over from my prior dental implant procedure) and a sleeping pill before I could sleep. The next 2 days, I had a lot of pain during my work, sitting down, getting up or walking.

Yesterday was Ginny’s birthday but we could not eat out, as I had to rest at home. I went to sleep very early after Ginny prayed for me. (She had also asked other sisters to pray for me.) I woke up before 3 AM and I had to go to the bathroom. But my back and sciatica pain was very severe. With great difficulty, it took me 20 minutes to get up slowly and walk holding onto things to the bathroom. After I moved my bowel, my pain was still very severe, and I had to hold on to things in order to get up to go to the sink to wash my hands. I stood there with a lot pain and thought, “Should I pray for miraculous healing…?”

GCCC went through a lot because of Pentecostalism about 10 years ago and has still not fully recovered from that. Therefore I have a lot of negative thoughts about miraculous healing. But recently the Harvest Small Group that Ginny and I have been attending since we came back from Shanghai is studying the book “When God’s People Pray” written by Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle Church and we also watched his video. We had actually studied this book and watched the same video series in our small group in Shanghai, and I had read many books on prayer…

This morning, as I was standing in front of the sink, supporting myself with my hands to reduce my severe pain, I thought about James 4:23, which had also been emphasized by JimCymabla, “Ye have not, because Ye ask not. Ye ask and receive not, because Ye ask amiss, that Ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (KJV) I thought if I asked for miraculous healing, would that be asking amiss? Would that be God’s will? Would that be selfish? The last few days Ginny had been saying that I should go see a doctor. But I am a doctor myself and I know there is very little that doctors can do. I have to teach Sunday school tomorrow, I have to work the day after, and I have to teach and see patients in the hospital in 2 weeks. If I were to ask God to heal me, I was sure that was not only for myself. Whether God would heal me or not was up to Him, I only wanted His will be done.

So I stood there and prayed, “Lord, if this is your will, I pray that you heal me now. “ Immediately I felt the pain lessened a lot and I could stand straight or bend down; I could walk without holding on anything. I know God healed me. Therefore I am writing down my Thanksgiving Testimony, to praise God for His Great Power and Love.

The Superiority of the Kingdom of Heaven

​-- The Sermon Manuscript of Pastor Albert Pua on Matthew 5:17-20, edited with permission from Pastor Pua because of our limited space

Recently, the media are continually reporting news on the ISIS terrorists. Of course the bottom line is they advocate for an Islamic State. The terrorists see the moral decay of the Western World and the increasing human greed. They think that implementing the Islamic laws is the only solution. In fact, that is not the case… Christians believe that the Bible has the ultimate answer to the issues they have raised. This passage helps us to think about Jesus coming to solve the problems of human sins. Of course, they also include the issues of moral decline, greed, and others. Matt 5:17-20 mainly talks about the superiority of the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

The meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven far surpasses the Letter of the Law. The Letter of the Law has not fully expressed the Meaning of the Kingdom. What do the Law and the Prophets refer to? They refer to the whole Old Testament, God’s teaching and His will through the prophets. The Law was based on the 5 Books of Moses and the Ten Commandments are the essentials of Moses’ Laws. The Prophets were the speakers for God. The messages from God to the Israelites were often communicated through the prophets. What is the function of the Law? The Law is to let people know what sins are. Without the Law people do not know what sins are. The Law gives us rules to tell right from wrong. The Israelites have the Law and God wants them to keep the Law. Keeping the Laws is good, such as “You shall not steal” and “Observe the Sabbath Day by keeping it Holy.” However, legalism is not good. God did not want them to be legalists. What is legalism? It codified the Law. For example, you cannot walk more than 2 miles on a Sabbath Day; otherwise you break the Law. Another example: the Pharisees added to God’s Law “human rules”: 613 of them (248 positive ones – what can be done, 365 negative ones – what cannot be done) and that is legalism. The Pharisees only kept the letter of the Law and they often had difficulty determining guilt. For example: in John 8, in the case of the woman that committed adultery, Jesus gave them a hard test to let them know that the spirit of the Law was more important than the letter of the Law.

Jesus came to fulfill the spirit of the Law. He did not come to abolish or get rid of the Law but to fulfill it. What did He mean by fulfilling them? Imperfection implies a need to be fulfilled. “To fulfill” is positive; it can turn imperfection into perfection. For example, a jar is half filled with water but not fully filled. How did Jesus fulfill? He did not “fulfill” through keeping but through trusting. It is not to say that Jesus did not need to keep the Law but He practiced the real meaning of the Law. For example, as Jesus was baptized by John, He said that they were to fulfill all righteousness. Furthermore, Jesus’ birth, arrest, death, resurrection, and ascension were all “fulfilling” Biblical prophecies. All of Jesus’ life was “fulfilling” the Law.

“Do not think” was referring to the accusation of Jesus by others. Why did some say that Jesus came to abolish the Law and the Prophets? In their eyes, Jesus seemed to be always challenging what they called the Law. For example, Jesus did not keep the Sabbath. He challenged those who said that it was not permissible to heal or to help people but it was ok to save the animal that fell into a pit on a Sabbath Day. The Pharisees clearly defined what could and could not be done on a Sabbath day. What was the ultimate purpose of keeping the Law? They kept the Law for the sake of keeping the Law. But Jesus pointed out that the ultimate purpose of keeping the Law was to love and fear God. Their ultimate purpose of keeping the Law was to make them “holier” than others. They emphasized the letter of the Law but Jesus emphasized the spirit of the Law. As Paul said, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (II Cor. 3:6). The Pharisees considered that one must keep the Law perfectly in order to get eternal life. For example, the young ruler asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18). He thought that if he kept the Law, he could inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and to follow Jesus. But he became very sad and left. Instead, Jesus said that we can have eternal life by believing in Him (John 3:16) He pointed out that we cannot be saved by keeping the Law. “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom 3:10)

But that does not mean that Jesus’ believers do not have to keep the Law.Jesus did not oppose the Law and He did not oppose the messages of the prophets. But the Law and the Prophets had been misinterpreted. Jesus said, “I have come” referring to a clear mission. Jesus had not come to____but to_____. The “I have come” was not used as usual by ordinary people. It referred to the mission from God.

Application: Some people oppose the law because they are afraid that they may break the law. People that break the law generally will have fear. Law enforcers often give people a sense of fear. Example: How do you feel if you drive with a police car nearby? How do you feel if an examiner is staring at you all the time when you are taking an exam? Of course, if we keep all the laws, we should not be fearful and should have peace in our hearts. But if a law-enforcement officer appears might you do something wrong by mistake? Maybe you have fear because you are not totally innocent! Or maybe it is just an accident! Conclusion: Why can’t people see what Jesus sees? Very likely it is because they do not have a Heavenly perspective. God’s Law is limited by human thinking and became “Man’s Law”! People only see the letter of the Law and not the spirit of the Law. We can only see the spirit of the Law if we have the Heavenly perspective.

5:18 “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stoke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

The citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are Law Keepers. “I tell you the truth” in the original language was “Amen”, or truthfully. Amen is commonly used for the response of the congregation. But here it refers to truthfulness. Matthew used it 31 times. It was always used in the beginning of a speech except in the Lord’s Prayer, where it was at the end. “Heaven and earth” refers to the physical earth. Will this earth one day be destroyed by fire? Revelation says that the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven in the future.

Iota is the smallest of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The least stroke (keraia or yodh) is a sign to differentiate similar Hebrew words. This phrase emphasizes that every word and every sentence is truthful and reliable. For example, Rev 22:18-19 says that the words of the prophecy cannot be added or taken away. “Will by no means” (ou me) was “no, not”, a double emphatic, meaning absolutely not. This indicated that the existence of the Law could not be questioned. Of course that referred to the Law of Moses. However, God also demands Christians obey human laws. For example: The Ferguson, Missouri case was a standoff between police and citizens. Breaking laws will be punished according to the laws. The Bible says that law-enforcers should be just and fair, punishing evil and rewarding good (Romans 13:1-7) and Christians should keep the law. Even though as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom we have the word of God as our standard, we also have to keep the laws of our country. Of course if the laws are against God’s will, Christians should choose to follow God rather than man. As Peter said when he was not permitted to preach the Gospel, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29). Examples: A Christian photographer in New Mexico refused to take photos for a same-sex marriage wedding and got fined. A Christian baker in Colorado refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage and was brought to court. Christians should keep the laws but also must have our standard based on our faith. Another example: Chick-Fil-As do not open on Sundays.

5:19 “Therefore anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever practice and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.”

“Therefore” concludes that God’s Words cannot be altered and the Law will surely stand and will need to be practiced by the disciples. To “break” (luo) here is not the same as to “abolish” (kataluo) in V17 (the same Chinese word is used in both verses in the Chinese Union Version). It means to put aside or neglect with the sense of “relax” in the original language. Jesus encouraged His disciples to keep the Law, even surpass the letter of the Law, and keep it with faith. Maybe some people in those days thought that some laws were less important and so they could neglect them and put them aside. Perhaps the disciples thought that way too. If most people agreed that the “least” commandment could be put aside, then it was ok. But Jesus did not agree. He considered all commands are important. Just as what he said about the smallest letter and the least stroke, they are all important. The rewards in Heaven are absolutely fair. God’s people will be rewarded according to how they practice and teach God’s commands. People regarded the commands to be great or small in those days with different treatment. Some religions also consider some sins more serious than others. For example, the Catholic Church divides sins into great and small ones but also considers that all of them should be kept.

Jesus considered that God’s commands must be honored. We do not only have to practice them but also to teach others to do so. Jesus looks at men’s heart and attitude more than their behavior. If we do not honor His words, we will be called least in His Kingdom.

Application: We are not very serious about God’s words. We think that we can do whatever we want because we are under grace. We break God’s Law knowingly and teach others to do the same. There is corruption everywhere and we go through legal loopholes. How long does God’s Law last? From the OT to the NT, from the past to Jesus’ days and now until forever!

5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. How was the righteousness of the Pharisees? They turned the Law into legalism. They loved the Law more than God. They kept the letter of the Law and kept all the rules. They tithed, they fasted twice a week and they kept the Sabbath. Jesus called the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law hypocrites (Matt 23). The Teachers of the Law were experts in the Law and were highly respected because of their knowledge. If our righteousness does not surpass theirs, we will “certainly not”, doubly and absolutely not “enter” eternal life (Matt 18:8-9). The way of the Pharisees was a wrong way with outward godliness but not true godliness. (II Tim 3:5)

Jesus taught the disciples not to do what the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees do (Matt 23:1-12) because they only taught but did not keep God’s Law. They wanted others to serve and honor them. We should follow God’s Law and serve others and then God will honor us.

Jesus pronounced the 8 woes to the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees (Matt 23:13-36) 1. They hindered others from entering the kingdom of Heaven (v13), 2. They devoured widows’ houses but for a show make lengthy prayers(v14), 3. They made others sons of hell (v15), 4. They were blind guides (v16-22), 5. They neglected real godliness (v23-24), 6. They were clean only on the outside (v25-26), 7. They were like whitewashed tombs (v27-28), 8. They killed prophets and the righteous (v29-36)

Conclusion: We believe in the superiority of the Kingdom of Heaven, surpassing the Law and the Righteousness of the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. This superiority is also shown by the important essence and manifestations of the Kingdom citizens: being salt and light for the Lord (Matt 5:13-16). May our Christian walk be a good example for others and be a good witness for the Lord’s Kingdom.

Challenges: 1) Are we legalists? 2) Are we hypocrites like the Pharisees? 3) Do we really examine ourselves closely and ask the Lord to examine our hearts?